Charles MacLean The author of ten books on whiskey, including Scotch Whisky, which received the 2005 James Beard Book Award for Wine and Spirits. He was founding editor of Whisky Magazine, and is currently British editor of the Russian magazine Whisky. He was elected a Keeper of the Quaich, the industry’s highest accolade, in 1992 for “his services to Scotch over many years.” A superb team of writers—Dave Broom, Tom Bruce-Gardyne, Ulf Buxrud, Ian Buxton, Glenn Gillen, Peter Mulryan, Hans Offringa, Dominic RosKRow, and Gavin Smith—also bring their knowledge and expertise to this book. EYEWITNESS COMPANIONS EYEWITNESS COMPANIONs architecture • Art • astrology • ASTROnOmY backpacking & HIKING • beer • cats Classical Music • dogs • FILM • French Cheese French Wine • Golf • Guitar herbal remedies • mythology • oLIVE OIL OPERA • PHILOSOPHY • PHOTOGRAPHY • RIDING sAILING • Scuba diving • Trees Wines of the World “Water of life” Find out about the origins of whiskey and its various styles, from single malts to modern premium blends WORLD GUIDE • REGIONS • DISTILLERIES MALTS • BLENDS • TASTING NOTES Whiskey Whiskey Complete reference Nation-by-nation coverage of distillers large and small, production techniques, labels, bottles, and maps The pleasures of whiskey How to appraise and enjoy whiskey, with tasting notes included The definitive visual guide Discover and enjoy the world of whiskey with this practical guide The publisher would like to thank the following for their kind permission to reproduce their photographs: (Key: a-above; b-below/bottom; c-center; l-left; r-right; t-top) Jacket images: Front: Alamy Images: Robert Holmes br; Corbis: Frank Bodenmueller c; DK Images: Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard fbr; Jack Daniel’s: fbl; PunchStock: Image Source t; Scottish Viewpoint: Iain Mclean bl. Back: Alamy Images: Peter Horree cla; Cephas Picture Library: Nigel Blythe cra; Mick Rock bl; Getty Images: Anthony Boccaccio c; Chris Close cr; Glencairn Crystal: cl. Spine: Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd: b All other images © Dorling Kindersley For further information see: www.dkimages.com International coverage Distilleries from around the world, including Scotland, Ireland, the US, and Japan Whiskey Editor-in-chief Charles MacLean EYEWITNESS CO M PA N ION S Whiskey WORLD GUIDE • REGIONS • DISTILLERIES MALTS • BLENDS • TASTING NOTES Whiskey EYE WITNESS COMPA NIONS EYE WITNESS CO M PA N ION S Editor-in-chief Charles MacLean contents Pages 10–15 introduction Pages 42–279 Pages 44–157 Pages 158–177 Pages 178–181 Pages 182–217 Pages 218–233 Pages 16–41 great whiskey nations scotland ireland england & wales usa canada The world of whiskey Pages 234–253 Pages 254–265 Europe japan Pages 266–271 australasia Pages 272–279 asia Pages 280–281 glossary Printed in China Discover more at www.dk.com $25.00 USA $28.00 Canada Whiskey charles maclean editor-in-chief eyewitness companio ns [...]... least two years (see p186) Corn Whiskey Corn whiskey is distilled from a fermented mash of not less than 80 percent corn at less than 80 percent ABV It is the one American whiskey Bourbon Whiskey Tennessee Whiskey Rye Whiskey Indian Whiskey Much of the whiskey produced in India would not qualify as whiskey elsewhere Most Indian whiskey is ENA (extra neutral alcohol) whiskey, produced in continuous... 40–50 percent of Single Grain Single Malt Irish Whiskey Whiskey Pot Still Irish Whiskey Blended Irish Whiskey 35 types of whiskey the mash bill is malted barley, though this isn’t a legal requirement (see p168) Traditionally, Irish whiskey is tripledistilled Blended Irish whiskies are made from a mixture of pot and column still spirits Like Scotch, Irish whiskey must be distilled and matured in the country... Canadian Whiskey Tennessee Whiskey Japanese Whiskey Essentially bourbon-style spirits, Tennessee whiskies do, however, undergo a distinctive filtration through sugar maple charcoal This is known as the Lincoln County Process (see p191) Japanese distillers take Scotland as their model, distilling malt whiskey in pot stills and grain whiskey in column stills As with Scotch, blended Japanese whiskey is... spirit” whiskey! American whiskey is not a failed attempt to make Scotch, or vice Slainte! versa,” to quote my late colleague Michael Jackson When Masataka Taketsuru set up Yoichi Distillery in the 1930s, he looked for a site that mirrored the climatic conditions he’d experienced in Scotland Charles MacLean, edinburgh the world of whiskey the World of whiskey 19 the world of whiskey Many people drink whiskey. .. receiver,” to be filled into casks or barrels 30 the world of whiskey maturation The influence of maturation in the creation of good whiskey cannot be overemphasized Indeed, some authorities consider that whiskey acquires up to 80 percent of its final character in the cask The cask cannot make bad whiskey good, but it can make a good whiskey great The importance of oak European Oak The most commonlyOak... Malt Whiskey Previously known as “vatted malts,” blended malts consist of two or more single malt whiskies mixed together As with blended whiskies, any age statement given has to refer to the youngest whisky in the blend Grain Whiskey Grain whiskey may contain unmalted barley or other malted or unmalted grains, such as wheat and corn, and is generally distilled in a continuous still Most grain whiskey. .. equipment, practice, and raw materials allow for an incredible number of variations in the whiskey that finally finds its way into the bottle Grain Of all the diverse factors that determine the ultimate character of the whiskey we buy, none comes close in importance to the type of grain from which that whiskey is distilled Whiskey may be made from barley, corn, rye, and wheat, with only barley being used in... role in shaping the profile of the whiskey into which it will eventually be transformed So, although the production of whiskey from just three principal ingredients may initially seem to be a straightforward process, resulting in a spirit that we might imagine would possess little variation, the reality is really very different 20 the world of whiskey Ingredients Making whiskey is actually a comparatively... barrels, and no minimum maturation period is specified (see p186) Virtually all Canadian whiskey is distilled in column stills, and in most cases, rye is blended with a comparatively neutral base spirit—sometimes with the Bourbon Whiskey addition of bourbon-type whiskey and By law, bourbon must be produced corn whiskey Unlike US bourbon and from a mash of not less than 51 percent rye, pre-used casks... Canadian whiskey must be between 70 and 90 percent corn, with some barley malt plus rye and/or wheat matured for a minimum of three years in the mash bill Legally, bourbon has to It is permissible to add small amounts be matured in new, charred, white oak of fruit or alcohols such as sherry to barrels for at least two years (see p186) the whiskey (see pp222 & 225) Rye Whiskey Legally, rye whiskey has . RosKRow, and Gavin Smith—also bring their knowledge and expertise to this book. EYEWITNESS COMPANIONS EYEWITNESS COMPANIONs architecture • Art • astrology • ASTROnOmY backpacking & HIKING. Ireland, the US, and Japan Whiskey Editor-in-chief Charles MacLean EYEWITNESS CO M PA N ION S Whiskey WORLD GUIDE • REGIONS • DISTILLERIES MALTS • BLENDS • TASTING NOTES Whiskey EYE WITNESS COMPA. bottles, and maps The pleasures of whiskey How to appraise and enjoy whiskey, with tasting notes included The definitive visual guide Discover and enjoy the world of whiskey with this practical